Two daredevils "playing" a game of tennis 3,000 feet in the air over Los Angeles, in 1925.
In the foreground is Ivan Unger and in the background is Gladys Roy. They were part of a barnstorming troupe called the 13 Black Cats and made a living by performing stunts all across the country. Roy was making anywhere from $200 to $500 ($3,000 to $7,500 adjusted for inflation) per performance but said that she was barely making any money because her expenses were high. She discussed some of her stunts in a May 26 article published by the LA Times:
“I do everything from the Charleston to playing tennis on the wings of a speeding ship, to hanging by my legs from the landing gear as the ship comes to earth. The moment my fingers touch the earth I snap my body upwards and the plane alights in a cloud of dust. It looks ten times more thrilling than it is because the crowd cannot see me on account of the dust cloud. Of late, the crowds are beginning to tire of even my most difficult stunts and so I must necessarily invent new ones, that is, if I want to hold my reputation as a dare-devil. Eventually, an accident will occur and then. The exhibitors know and welcome these accidents, for their ears are turned to the clink of gold as it falls into their strong boxes. Thus does the event spell success or failure? Were one to turn back the pages of this world they would have probably found me again in the Roman circus. I would have been crying: 'Hail, Caesar! We who are about to die, salute thee! And promoter Caesar would have turned 'thumbs down.'”
A year later, Roy died in a tragic accident after being struck by a propeller after a photoshoot. She was only 25 years old.
Gladys Roy was not just a daredevil, but also a film actress. She appeared in the 1925 film, “The Fighting Ranger”. However, her acting career was not without its dangers. During the production of the film, she was seriously injured when she was thrown from a horse.
Despite the risks involved in her stunts, Gladys Roy was quite successful in her career. She claimed to hold the world record for a low parachute jump and had completed a parachute jump from an impressive height of 17,000 feet. Her earnings ranged from $200 to $500 per performance around 1924, although they dropped to $100 a performance by 1926.
The barnstorming troupe that Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger were part of, the 13 Black Cats, was one of the first organized barnstorming troupes. They were known for their daring and spectacular stunts. Other members of the troupe included Gladys Ingles, who was known for her remarkable aerial feats. Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger were truly pioneers in their field. Their daring stunts on the wings of airplanes captured the public’s imagination and pushed the boundaries of what was considered possible. Despite the inherent risks and eventual tragic end, Gladys Roy’s life was filled with thrilling performances that left an indelible mark on aviation history. The legacy of the 13 Black Cats barnstorming troupe lives on as an example of fearless innovation and audacious entertainment in the early days of aviation.
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